Jiggle Physics - Television Tropes & Idioms

alt title(s): Mammary Physics; Breast Physics

Making games look more "real" has been the goal of most gaming technology upgrades since 1990. Making objects and characters in the game environment move more like real things and less like inflexible computer models is a good place to start.

A lot of breakthroughs have been made in this area, from lighting effects, to cloth modeling, to wind, water, and hair movement. The one that stands out in the minds of gamers is the programming breakthrough that gives female characters' anatomy real-time bounce.

It becomes vaguely disturbing to think that such a small (or not so small) thing probably required a team of programmers weeks of hard work to figure out.

Note that it is very rare for other flesh on the character to act anything like real skin, even if Jiggle Physics have been implemented. In some cases, one would think that by continually having said character jumping up and down, her mammary-induced momentum would fling her several feet into the air.

Common in tournament-style Fighting Games, and Third Person Shooters featuring a Third Person Seductress. This last one is sometimes counter-productive without a free-camera system, as the default view is mostly from behind the character.

This can be considered a special case of the Male Gaze. See also the Anime Trope Gainaxing. Note that most real women in these situations would have the foresight to wear this strange and wonderous device called a bra.

Examples:

In the recently released Resident Evil 5, Excella jiggles. This is rather disturbing at one part as she is on all fours gasping in pain as her cells get ready to turn into giant leech-slugs.
Seen in Dragon Quest VIII with the character Jessica. She has enormous boobs, which jiggle and bounce, several different character models of her in skimpy clothing, and even a skill set called "Sex Appeal".
The Dead Or Alive series is known for having it, playing with it, and selling the game with it. An age input on the first title actually determined how much the female fighters could bounce. A later Spin Off would bring it further to the forefront by transforming the game into a beach volleyball title and eliminating the male competitors.
- Essentially this is one of Tomonobu Itagaki's defining traits of his games.
- Logic rears its ugly head?
- They want to be free!
- Ultimate proof: Consider this series of animations from Dead or Alive Xtreme 2. Pity there isn't any gameplay preview, though.
  - Even while standing still they tend to bounce. I guess the normal laws of physics weren't sexy enough?
- The way those things bounce around throws this right into Uncanny Valley territory for me
  - Uncanny Valley pertains to being almost but not quite human. Considering how unrealistic the bounce is, it's more like Valley of the WTF.
- They're filled with Antigravity Water!
BloodRayne has it, and even has a cheat code to enable increased boob bouncing. The cheat code is Juggy Dance Squad.
Rumble Roses, the all-woman pro-wrestling title, of course.
- Although, they move as much as breasts in bras should move, not freely.
SNK may have been the first to do it, but in 2D: Mai Shuranui from Fatal Fury was bouncing long before the DOA girls.
The Soul Calibur series displays this, but it is very much downplayed and almost, dare say, "realistic." The lone exception is the ninja Taki, whose breast movements, while they don't bounce too much, appear to be timed one full second behind the rest of her body.
- Xianghua, though, has buttock jiggle physics. Note this clip.
- Disturbingly enough, Astaroth has a chest that jiggles noticeably whenever his onscreen model moves quickly enough. Eeewww....
  - Even more disturbing, Voldo's ass jiggles in Soul Calibur 2. Feel free to introduce your mind's eye to a knife.
- Of course this was all thrown out in Soul Calibur 3, in which all female character with the exception of the underaged Talim have been given larger breasts and costumes that allow these to bounce around in a ridiculous manner, such as when you SELECT them in the character selection bit. Astaroth's chest jiggle is still intact.
- Just a hint, in Soulcalibur III, if you leave the shop while one of the storekeepers is gesturing, their boobs jiggle up at a ridiculous height, and then go back to normal. (I like the item-shop lady ;) )
  - Try hitting the exit button (Triangle or Square) multiple times to "attempt" to exit. This troper noticed varying and interesting results. ;D
- If Soulcalibur III is bad, the latest game in the series, Soulcalibur IV, is even worse. Seriously, not even the two underage girls, Talim and Amy, are exempt...
The game Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines has numerous female models for the player to control, depending on what type of vampire she (or, more likely, he) chooses. Oddly, only some of these have jiggle physics - others appear to have breasts made of solid metal.
- This makes sense, once you consider that the game is set in L.A.
- And that some of those characters have very tight dresses/tops, whereas others(Malkavian) are more like a loose band of cloth.
Metal Gear Acid 2 had exceptionally hilarious and out-of-place Jiggle Physics for two main reasons - first of all, that it was a non-canon Spinoff of the Metal Gear Solid series which tended to treat breasts with the respect they deserved (i.e. jiggling realistically, subliminally and not in their own antigravity fields), and second of all that the game came with a pair of 3D goggles allowing you to see the breasts' undulatory movements in gropeable solidarity. This editor is a straight female, so is biased, but distinctly remembers feeling physically seasick at the constant, rhythmic, three-dimensional lurching of Dr. Takiyama's chest.
- To save time, the developers used the same physics set on the ludicrous ammo pouch Snake wore on his own chest. The effect was...well.
- Not to mention that Venus, when, getting bored or some else, would hop up and down. WHY, HELLO, THERE.
- When a new area or section of a cutscene loaded up, everyone's breasts/ammo pouches would simultaneously, spontaniously boing up and down. It's hysterical.
The latest of the Tomb Raider games have it, as would seem obvious. The early games show exactly what is wrong with its absence; Lara's chest is literally Barbie-esque in its steely inflexibility, as if she were smuggling a pair of cannonballs in her bodysuit.
Several cutscenes from 007: Agent Under Fire featured a lot of breast jiggling.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma features the female demon-hunter, Rachel, who fights the hordes of hell armed with a ludicrously Stripperiffic black leather outfit, a huge poleaxe and boobs that are just about big enough to each contain their own anti-gravity generator. In High Definition.
- Particularly odd (and hilarious) is one scene where Rachel is knocked out by a powerful enemy. A few seconds after she hits the ground, the camera pans to her still body, and her breasts are still shaking side to side.
- Considering it's by the same company that does Dead or Alive, it would be more surprising if they didn't borrow some effects.
In Final Fantasy X, busty gothic lolita-styled mage Lulu had breasts that moved as if they were filled with water. If you ended a battle with her hasted, they appeared to jump like a prodded frog.
In Final Fantasy XII, Fran's buttocks do this at several points, most notably when she walks away from other Viera in Eryut Village.
The Nintendo DS remake of Final Fantasy IV subverts this: One character *does* jiggle quite a lot when running, but it's overweight male character Cid, whose stomach and rear end both wobble impressively.
The adventure game Policenauts was quite interesting in that it named a 'Breast Jiggle Supervision Unit' in the credits. Every member of the unit was female.
Ironically, the Bioware RPG game Neverwinter Nights had only a single character model with jiggle physics - a female wearing a bare-shouldered Breast Plate. The armour was solid, but apparently the breasts behind it weren't attached to the woman, or snug against the armour. When fan-content added jiggle physics to other character models, even the most rigid steel full plate armour jiggled like a jelly castle.
Was pretty much the point of the Playboy game, which was basically The Sims mixed with Theme Park mixed with... Playboy. You get to have sex with a lot of girls. And take pictures of them.
"Bob" in the Fight Club video game. He has an estrogen imbalance from taking steroids; as the narrator of the film puts it: "This is Bob. Bob has bitch tits."
Judy Nails, in the XBox 360 and PS3 versions of Guitar Hero III. (She's relatively flat-chested in the PS2 and Wii versions - at least, she certainly isn't springy...)
In Haunting Ground, whenever Fiona so much as stops walking her breasts give a celebratory boing.
For some really, really well-done Jiggle Physics, look at EVA from Metal Gear Solid 3. Unless you're paying attention, you won't notice - her breasts move exactly like a real person's. Particularly of note is the scene where, clad in her underwear, she crawls hands and knees towards Snake as part of an attempted seduction, and her breasts actually change shape - again, exactly like a real person's. The irony kicks in when it turns out that the woman has had bust enhancement surgery, which, using the techniques from the timeline she's in, would leave her rock solid.
- Those Philosophers really know their stuff apparently.
Averted in Drakengard. This editor can't remember a single female character in that game who had anything above a B-cup. Of course, there are only three major females, one of which is a child, so maybe that's to be expected.
In Devil May Cry 4, Trish's and thus, Gloria's bust alternates between jiggling and producing a particularly strange wave effect.
- Lady, in her two appearances in the same game, was no different. Interestingly, Kyrie, who is characterised as more 'pure' than the others, apparently wears a bra with better support.
Adrianna, the female player character in Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance, features some pretty impressive bouncing - even while armored - but is overshadowed a bit by Alyth the bartender (in typical barmaid garb), who leans forward most helpfully while she discusses your quest.
3D-rendered movie example: Beowulf. Particularity the table-scrubbing scene near the beginning.
- Humourously enough, it was that scene that made this troper aware it was actually a CG movie, having thought it was a live action and doing absolutely no research on the title after catching half of the trailer once.
In Tales Of The Abyss, if you pay attention, you can see Tear´s breasts jiggle a bit in some game sequences, which supports the fact that the other characters see her as being well endowed.
Judith from Tales Of Vesperia also has this.
2008's The Incredible Hulk for PS3/360 features this... for the Hulk himself. Admittedly, there's much less jiggle involved since it's just his pectorals, but still.
~~Even~~ Naturally, Bleach games can't escape this trope, as seen with Orihime in Shattered Blade.
Surprisingly, Guild Wars has jiggle physics, it's just somewhat more realistic than pretty much all of the above examples and surprisingly missable. Different armor sets will offer better levels of support. That said, party hero Livia's, ahem, physics are decidedly noticeable in one infamous cutscene in Eye of the North. This was probably the first time that most players actually realized that there were jiggle physics in the game. The rest probably rolled female elementalists on their first day.
Metal Gear Solid 4 takes this to its logical conclusion with interactive jiggle physics. Shaking the motion-sensitive controller while communicating with a female support character or fighting a female boss outside of her suit causes their breasts to bounce.
- Let it never be said that Kojima doesn't understand his audience.
In Sonic Adventure 2, Rouge the Bat seemed to have no support for that wave action there. It wasn't even realistic.
- Averted in the next 3D games to feature her. Your Mileage May Vary, depending on whether or not you miss it.
In a non-video game example, the manufacturers of the "Shock Absorber" jog bra have a (NSFW) Flash-based 3D bounce simulator, tunable by breast size and level of activity. The jiggling becomes hypnotic after a while.
Jenny and Uranus (and to a lesser extent, Shina and Alice) from Bloody Roar: Primal Fury all have a considerable amount of bounce to the pixellated ounce.
The NPC Nao of Mabinogi has very large breasts that are arguably the most mobile parts of her body.
If your character in Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is a Selkie female, you're going to experience a lot of this. It's not very noticeable at all once you're running around in-game, but as soon as you highlight her on the character selection screen... it's bamboozling. It's also worth mentioning that Selkies show up more often as females than males (including on the game's cover). Probably because they're Stripperiffic to boot.
- I think it's supposed to be the fur on her clothes.
  - No, it's her chest for sure. I (Dark) have been replaying the game with a friend, and it is most certainly the chest that's bouncing, not just the fur. It's kinda creepy...aren't they supposed to be, like, 13 or something?
Subtly lampshaded in Baten Kaitos Origins. On Sagi's home island, the shop is tended to by a female shopkeeper who demonstrates this trope. Right across the street, you'll find an old man ogling her.
Briefly parodied in this◊ Super Smash Bros fan-work, with Nidorina's ears.
- In Brawl, Samus has some jiggle, but it's subtle. Jigglypuff and Kirby have jiggle all over their bodies. Thank Sakurai that Wario, who is also in the game, does not have jiggle physics.
Enough said.
In Resident Evil 4, Ashley's breasts do a bit of jiggling, but it's most noticeable while on the elevator. ~~Bizarrely~~ Not surprisingly, they're bouncier in the US version than in the Japanese version.
The Crystal Dynamics Tomb Raider games have this. It was only in the cutscenes for Legend and Anniversary; Underworld has it in the gameplay itself. It's very subtle, but it is there. (This Troper checked. What?)
A friend of this troper was kind enough (or ADD enough) to point out that Cortana from Halo 3 had jiggle physics. What has Bungie done? Cortana was an AI. She's coding. Who coded jiggle physics into her? Why? It's not even a matter liking it or not, SHE'S AN AI.
- Programmers exactly like Bungie's for the exact same reason?
Seems to have been subverted in Street Fighter IV, where the most jiggly anatomy on any of the characters is the big gut on the male fighter Rufus.
- Oh, it's there for other characters. See the opening cutscene for Chun Li's rival battle with C. Viper.
In the MMORPG City Of Heroes, female breasts have no jiggle physics whatsoever. It's possible to make characters with breasts larger than their own head, but no matter what your character is wearing, their boobs will stay completely stationary.
- Despite this (and a Lampshade Hanging on this trope) Yahtzee actually named his female character in City Of Heroes "Jiggle Physics" since he set the boob slider to maximum.
Honorable mention must go to Super Robot Wars, which although, normally being a 2-D series, doesn't have actual physics, models the bountiful bouncing of so many of its female protagonists in Pilot cut-ins that it might as well.
- Even Latooni has her moments and she's like 14? Though hers is small-medium at best.
  - Mention must also go to the Gaiden Game Endless Frontier, where every female with the exception of Suzuka and Kyon (no, not that one) bounces. And the only reason these two don't bounce is because they're so flat, you could swear they haven't gone through puberty yet.
Magical Battle Arena includes Naga the White Serpent from Slayers. Naturally, her infamous breasts jiggle even when you're not moving her.
In Killer7, the female members of The Handsome Men jiggle quite a bit during their intro poses. And the fat man does as well.
Three variations in Fate/Unlimited Codes. Most of the female characters are rather modestly dressed to begin with, but Rin's normal clothes skirt the boundary just enough for noticable movement (she's clearly wearing appropriate underwear). Rider, on the other hand, jiggles very noticably...which considering her outfit and general endowment, makes perfect sense. Then, there's Dark Sakura, who's breasts apparently have their own gravity.
- Leysritt, Ilyasviel's axe-wielding Ninja Maid, combines her formidable endowment with a maid uniform that would appear to be a recoloured Anna Miller's uniform.
Arin and, to a lesser extent, Cecilia in the Korean MMO golf game Pangya. Interestingly, the amount (or at least the obviousness) of Arin's jiggle physics tends to vary depending on what outfit you have equipped—she seems to jiggle twice as much while wearing overalls as when she's wearing a two-piece bathing suit. Go figure.
The PS 2 game Rise of the Kasai (sequel to The Mark of Kri) was a fairly serious game with brutal violence...and featured Tati, a stripperiffic heroine whose breasts bounced about a foot every time she stopped moving.
The only reason Naughty Dog's character designers thought it was a good idea to include Papu Papu as a boss in the original Crash Bandicoot was because the animators loved to animate jiggling fat.
Every single female character / enemy in the Castlevania series, even if they're just a heap of pixels, has jiggling boobs.
Mei-Fang of Arcana Heart has Boobs Of Steel that jiggle when she's in her standing position and in her victory poses. Now, why a Robot Girl needs to jiggle is a question only her eccentric creator knows.
[[Lineage 2]] Dark Elven females jiggle... a lot.
Mocked by The Onion: "New Video Game Technology Finally Allows Rendering of Smaller Breasts."
- Truth In Television - Tifa's infamous knockers were caused by rendering limitations on the Playstation. The original character was supposed to have average-sized breasts (as seen in concept art), but when the graphics programmers realized the issues at hand, it boiled down to Gag Boobs or Pettanko. The team chose the former.
There's a Game Mod or two that allows this for The Sims 2.
Valve recently added 'jiggle bones' to their Source Engine. Guess what modders commonly use them for?
- Replacing The Scout's bat with Thor the Giant Horse Dong of Death? (NSFW.)
Priestess Rao from Okami, nicknamed "Busty Babe" by Issun.
King Hippo's belly in the new Punch Out Wii game. He's not exactly a hippo, but he might as well be one.
SiN Episodes. Oh, hello Elexis. I guess Ritual wanted to make the most of their Havok physics license.